Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade

10 reviews

annahelle's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this is such a solid book! really glad i read it. the author did an amazing job at expressing the characters’ thoughts, insecurities, flaws, behaviors, etc. she was really good at describing facial expressions and body language too. just a great job exploring the interior lives of this family. i really felt like i knew the characters and their thought processes. great character development. definitely a character > plot narrative, but the story was still entertaining and devastating and emotional too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Dementia, Death of parent, Cancer, Alcoholism, and Addiction

Moderate: Abandonment, Car accident, Child abuse, Sexism, and Self harm

Minor: Blood, Incest, Lesbophobia, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Car accident, and Child death

bandysbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a story that follows the members of one family over the course of roughly a year. Each family member is relatively dysfunctional and has made mistakes. Now, with things changing they are each forced to grow and change.

I thought this book was pretty interesting. All of the characters are highly dysfunctional, but still relatable. I personally felt frustrated with them on many occasions, but ultimately couldn’t help but root for them.

I did find the pacing a little bit slow. At times the story did drag a bit or get a little redundant, but it was a minor thing.

All in all, if you really like deep explorations of characters and their motivations, this is for you!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Car accident, Medical content, Pregnancy, Rape, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Abandonment, Drug use, Grief, and Homophobia

tanager's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Cried through half the book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Pregnancy and Car accident

Minor: Child abuse, Abandonment, Car accident, Addiction, and Biphobia

internationalreads's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Grief, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Rape and Incest

nick13's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was so incredible! The writing was so great and the way the author really delved into how people think and act was just so interesting and amazed me. They weren't good people, they didn't do many logical things, yet that is how people act and what made them so grounded. 
<The moments with Yolanda and her drowning feeling of her dying and the very last moments before she died were so heavy and so amazingly conveyed. I also loved how Angel tried so hard to help Lizette yet she kicked her out, showing how it is up to the other person to take your help and to also forgive themselves and also the moment where Brianna kicks Angel out of the program due to her pint up anger towards Amadeo and the crushing feeling of about to get kicked out of her job./>

Overall, this book was really movie, carried heavy themes of forgiveness that really hit home for me. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time and I cherish the time I took to read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Dementia, Cancer, Car accident, Grief, Self harm, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Rape

erinwolf1997's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Death, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Drug use, Medical content, Blood, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Self harm, Incest, Rape, Abortion, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

megumigomyo's review against another edition

emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Alcoholism, Cancer, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

balladofreadingqueer's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I enjoyed this book. It grew out of a short story of the same name; however, I think that the novel makes much more sense. The removal of the old man who got nailed to the cross makes Amadeo’s choice make so much more sense.

The story centers on Amadeo and to a lesser extent his daughter Angel. The 5 wounds could refer to Amadeo (the jobless, alcoholic penitent who wants to be a better man), Angel (the teenage single mother trying to get her GED), Yolanda (the grandmother dying of a brain tumour and trying to keep her family together, Lizette (the teenage single mother with no family and limited options) and Brianna (the virgin teacher desperate for acceptance). Or the 5 wounds could address the issues that impact many of the characters familial tension, desire to be accepted, desire for fulfilment, poverty and illness/health. 

I enjoyed following this family of 4 generations through the trials and tribulations of 1 year of family life for this Latine New Mexican family. My favourite subplot was the queer relationship between Lizette and Angel as they found ways to go to school, take care of their babies and show each other the love and affection missing from their own lives. Even though in the end their relationship did not last as one girl succumbed to the dangers of being an at-risk mother. Whereas Amadeo and Ángel seem to have improved by the end of the book and grown in themselves and in their relationships.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Drug use, Incest, Pregnancy, Rape, and Self harm

callanisreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The birth of a new baby draws together five generations of family, each privately wrestling with her own trauma. In their proximity, the family members awaken to the pain they share and inflict. In prose that is at once insightful, authentic, and funny, Valdez Quade offers a stunning debut that exceeds the sum of its parts.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault

sjanke2's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, and Addiction

Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Pregnancy, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Death

Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Cursing, and Child abuse